We checked 10 Barnet cafes, from Campbell & Syme in East Finchley to Oak Hill Park Café, for opening hours and hygiene ratings. Updated October 2026.
Barnet has 10 cafes worth seeking out in 2026, from Campbell & Syme, the roaster’s own cafe in East Finchley since 2012, to Huddle Caffe on High Barnet’s High Street, Oak Hill Park Café in East Barnet with its own soft play, and the park cafes at Golders Hill Park and Victoria Park.
Hours change with the seasons, especially at the park cafes, so check before a special trip.
High Barnet and East Barnet
1. Huddle Caffe, High Street, Barnet
Huddle Caffe is an independent cafe near the top of the High Street, with a second branch in Winchmore Hill. Its own site calls it “a community hub” and lists made-to-order sandwiches, cakes and pastries, breakfasts including healthy options, smoothies and speciality teas.
Customer reviews it publishes on its site mention tables outside that catch the sun and say it is dog friendly.
Open Mon to Sat 8am to 5pm; Sun 8am to 4.30pm
Address 224 High Street, Barnet EN5 5SZ
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 11 April 2026
Website huddlecaffe.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for open Sundays, outdoor tables, dog friendly, breakfasts, smoothies
2. Oak Hill Park Café, Parkside Gardens, East Barnet
Oak Hill Park Café opened in 1996 in a small corner of the park’s cricket pavilion, according to its own site, and is still family run, by Ewa and Jack. Its menu page says it has been “making a name” for home-made Polish dishes, alongside breakfasts and a children’s menu.
The cafe has its own soft play, split into an area for babies up to eight months and one for nine months to six years; only food and drink bought at the cafe may be eaten on site.
Open 8am to 5pm "depending on weather"; soft play 9am to 5pm
Price soft play £2 (babies up to eight months), £4 (nine months to six years), on prices the site labels 2023
Call 020 8361 1013
Address Parkside Gardens, Barnet EN4 8JP
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 28 April 2026
Website oakhillparkcafe.co.uk
Good for soft play, children's menu, home-made Polish dishes, breakfasts, family run since 1996
Finchley and East Finchley
3. Campbell & Syme, Fortis Green, East Finchley
Campbell & Syme is a speciality coffee roaster, and this is its own cafe. Its about page says Joe Syme founded the business in 2012 after falling for the coffee scene in Portland, Oregon, and its location page says the East Finchley shop opened in October 2012 and was briefly its roastery too.
Roasting has since moved to Kings Langley, and the company became a certified B Corporation in 2023, according to The Way to Coffee. The cafe pours two single-origin espressos and three filter coffees that change with the seasons, with toasties, open sandwiches such as guacamole on sourdough, granola and its own baking.
Open Mon to Fri 8am to 3pm; Sat 9am to 4pm; closed Sun
Address 9 Fortis Green, N2 9JR
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 17 November 2025
Website campbellandsyme.co.uk/pages/location
Listing Our listing
Good for speciality coffee, seasonal filter coffee, toasties, own baking, B Corp
4. Cherry Tree Wood cafe, Summerlee Avenue, East Finchley
Cherry Tree Wood is the patch of ancient woodland and grass opposite East Finchley station, and its cafe sits beside the playground and tennis courts. The Woodland Trust says the wood’s old name was Dirthouse Wood, after the manure from London that was stored nearby.
The cafe has no website of its own. GoParks London lists outdoor seating only, and Parks and Gardens UK has listed the cafe as opening daily in summer but only at weekends from November to April, so expect weekend opening only through the winter.
Open cafe daily in summer, weekends only November to April (Parks and Gardens UK); park dawn to dusk (GoParks London)
Address Summerlee Avenue, N2 9QH
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 21 February 2026
Good for next to the playground, tennis courts, outdoor seating, ancient woodland
5. Inky’s Stables Café, Stephens House and Gardens, Finchley
Inky’s is the cafe in the old stables at Stephens House, the Grade II listed house and gardens on East End Road. The house’s own site says Henry Charles “Inky” Stephens, of the Stephens’ Ink Company, gave it for the use and enjoyment of the people.
Open seven days a week, 9am to 5pm; weekends and bank holidays from 10am
Food last orders 4pm
Call 020 8346 7812 (Stephens House)
Address 17 East End Road, N3 3QE
Hygiene rating 3, Food Standards Agency, 30 January 2026
Website stephenshouseandgardens.com/visit/eat-drink
Listing Our listing
Good for open Sundays, old stables, Grade II listed house, gardens
6. Victoria Park cafe, Ballards Lane, Finchley
Victoria Park opened in 1902 and was the only public park in the old Borough of Finchley until 1914, according to the Friends of Victoria Park, whose site lists a cafe “open 7 days a week” alongside two playgrounds, six tennis courts and the bowls and croquet club. The Friends say they have money set aside that will pay for new playgrounds and “a new café”, so the cafe may change in the coming years.
The cafe publishes no hours or menu of its own.
Open "open 7 days a week" (Friends of Victoria Park); no hours published
Address Ballards Lane, N3 2NE, close to Finchley Central and West Finchley stations
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 17 July 2026
Good for two playgrounds, six tennis courts, bowls and croquet club
7. cafédepot, artsdepot, North Finchley
cafédepot is the cafe on level 2 of artsdepot, the arts centre on Nether Street. Its page lists sandwiches, snacks, fresh croissants, organic products and fair trade teas and coffees, with free wifi, and says all profits go back into the centre’s community work.
A free soft play area and book corner are round the corner from the cafe. artsdepot’s visit page publishes the cafe’s hours for the week ahead.
Open this week 9am to 4.30pm; bar opens an hour before performances
Call 020 8369 5454 (box office)
Address level 2, artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 19 May 2026
Website artsdepot.co.uk/visit/our-spaces/cafebar
Good for free soft play, book corner, free wifi, fair trade coffee
Golders Green, Hendon and Colindale
8. Golders Hill Park Café, North End Way
Golders Hill Park Café is the glass-fronted cafe in Golders Hill Park, which the City of London runs as part of Hampstead Heath. Its page promises hot and cold meals, snacks and drinks, and says the Heath cafes were put out to tender again at the end of 2025.
The park page warns the park may shut at short notice when winds of 40mph or more are forecast. It is a 14-minute walk from Golders Green station, or the 210 and 268 buses.
Open park 7.30am to 5pm until 15 November; 7.30am to 4.30pm from 16 November to the end of December
Address North End Way, NW3 7HD
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 30 June 2026, Barnet Council
Website cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/where-to-go-at-hampstead-heath/golders-hill-park-cafe
Good for hot and cold meals, park setting, part of Hampstead Heath
9. Head Room Café, Golders Green Road
Head Room is a cafe run as a social enterprise by the mental health charity Jami, now part of Jewish Care. The Jewish Chronicle reported that Jami opened it in 2016 in its former charity shop, that it serves kosher food, and that free groups and peer-led activities run there.
It has no page of its own; the hours below come from Jewish Care’s job adverts and its OpenTable listing, and OpenTable shows an earlier finish on Fridays, so check before going.
Open Sun to Fri 8am to 4pm (earlier finish on Fri, per OpenTable); closed Sat
Address 89 Golders Green Road, NW11 8EN
Hygiene rating 4, Food Standards Agency, 27 February 2025
Good for kosher food, social enterprise, free groups, peer-led activities
10. Hendon Kitchen, RAF Museum, Colindale
Hendon Kitchen is the main cafe at the RAF Museum. The museum’s food and drink page calls it “a light and bright family-friendly café” with a “hearty canteen style menu from quality British ingredients”, served at the counter.
A smaller AeroPlay! Café in Hangar 4 sits next to the museum’s soft play.
Open every day 10am to 4.30pm; takeaway only from 4pm
Food breakfast 10am to 11am; lunch 11.30am to 3pm
Booking museum entry is free, but it asks visitors to book tickets in advance
Address RAF Museum, Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL
Hygiene rating 5, Food Standards Agency, 22 May 2026, listed under the caterer, Restaurant Associates
Website rafmuseum.org.uk/london/plan-your-day/food-and-drink
Listing Our listing
Good for open Sundays, family friendly, soft play nearby, free museum entry
How we chose
We looked for independents with a history, such as Oak Hill Park Café since 1996 and Campbell & Syme since 2012, and for the park and museum cafes people head to with children. Every cafe here is rated 3 or better by the Food Standards Agency, and hours and menus come from each cafe’s own website, or the park or museum that runs it, as of 27 October 2026.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@barnetlive.co.uk.
More in Barnet: things to do in Barnet, what’s on this month, Barnet playgrounds, walks near Barnet, Barnet restaurants, Barnet pubs, the latest Barnet food hygiene ratings and cafes in our business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Which Barnet cafes are good for small children?
Oak Hill Park Café in East Barnet has its own soft play for babies and under-sixes, with entry at £2 or £4 on the prices it lists. cafédepot at artsdepot in North Finchley has a free soft play area round the corner from the café, and the RAF Museum in Colindale has a café next to its AeroPlay! soft play as well as the Hendon Kitchen café. The park cafes at Victoria Park, Cherry Tree Wood and Golders Hill Park all sit near playgrounds.
Where can I get speciality coffee in Barnet?
Campbell & Syme at 9 Fortis Green, East Finchley, is a roaster’s own cafe, open since October 2012. It serves two single-origin espressos and three filter coffees that change with the seasons, and sells beans and brewing kit. It opens Monday to Friday 8am to 3pm and Saturday 9am to 4pm, and is closed on Sundays.
Which Barnet cafes are open on a Sunday?
Huddle Caffe on High Barnet’s High Street opens 8am to 4.30pm on Sundays, Inky’s Stables Café at Stephens House opens from 10am at weekends, and Hendon Kitchen at the RAF Museum opens 10am to 4.30pm every day. Campbell & Syme is closed on Sundays, and the Cherry Tree Wood cafe has been listed as opening only at weekends from November to April.
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